DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Progressive partylist groups Gabriela Women’s Party and Kabataan Partylist welcomed the cancellation of registration of Duterte Youth Partylist, calling it a long-overdue correction to what they described as “a systematic abuse of the partylist system.”
Cobbie Canda, Kabataan Partylist Southern Mindanao Region (SMR) Chair also urged the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to act with more urgency in disqualifying fake partylists, noting it took nearly six years to resolve Duterte Youth’s case.
“Umabot ng anim na taon para maresolba ang kasong ito. Equivalent yun sa dalawang termino ng Duterte Youth partylist sa Kongreso… Nasampolan lang ang Duterte Youth isunod na dapat ang iba pa. Ipinapawagan din natin sa Supreme Court na baliktarin na ang desisyon na nagbigay daan para tumakbo bilang partylist ang kahit sinong may adbokasiya lang kahit di kinatawan ng marginalized,” Canda said.
On June 18, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Second Division canceled Duterte Youth’s registration, citing multiple violations, including misrepresentation of nominees and failure to comply with basic partylist requirements for its accreditation in 2018.
The ruling declared Duterte Youth’s accreditation “void ab initio,” or null from the beginning.
According to Canda, the cancellation affirmed that Duterte Youth never represented the sector it claimed to serve.
“Although nire-recognize natin na delayed at belated ang desisyon, this is still a welcome development. Ang Duterte Youth ay isang pekeng partylist. Sila ay sintomas na ang partylist system ay kasalukuyang sira at kailangang ireporma para ang mga nasa partylist ay maging tunay na kinatawan ng marginalized at underprivileged na mga sektor,” Canda said.
Among the reasons cited by COMELEC was that Duterte Youth’s nominees, including former chair Ronald Cardema, were over the age limit for a youth sector partylist at the time of their accreditation in 2018.
Canda said, “(T)heir cancellation only shows that no matter how powerful they may seem, they are not invincible from the mass movement, where genuine power resides.”
He also called for the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Anti-Terror Law, linking Duterte Youth’s red-tagging record to broader attacks on civil liberties.
“Napapanahon na rin para i-proklama at ipaupo ang Gabriela Women’s Party dahil sa solidong track-record nito sa paglaban para sa babae, bata, LGTBTQ at bayan,” Canda said.
Gabriela Women’s Party is next in line to gain one of the three Congressional seats to be vacated by Duterte Youth.
According to Dr. Jean Lindo, Gabriela’s third nominee, the cancellation is not just a legal victory but a political one for sectoral representation.
“In the first place, it was obvious that they were not a genuine youth organization. They served only the interests of the powerful dynasty and the military sector,” Lindo said.
Lindo said that assuming a Congressional seat would be an opportunity for Gabriela to resume its push for legislative priorities.
“First and foremost are the prices of basic commodities and increase in wages. Contractualization still exists, and this has to end. The VAWC (Violence Against Women and Children) Law needs amendment.There are still a lot of oppressive laws that need to be changed.”
Both Gabriela and Kabataan called for broader reforms to eliminate political dynasties and ensure the partylist system is reserved for legitimate representatives of marginalized sectors.
“Sadly, the political dynasties have eroded the integrity of the PL system. We call for the elimination of political dynasties and patronage politics,” Lindo said. (davaotoday.com)
